Raise Idea Is Doubly Foolish

What an exit for Orange County Commissioner Hal Marston. On Tuesday, at his last commission meeting before leaving office, he insisted on pressing to give commissioners a $26,140 pay increase.

Amazingly, commissioners voted 6-1 to hold a public hearing to consider that outrageous idea.

Commissioner Vera Carter, who also was participating in her last meeting as a commissioner, got in one good last vote as the lone member opposing this matter.

What about County Chairman Linda Chapin? She says she opposes the raise, but she said she didn't vote against the hearing as a courtesy to Mr. Marston at his last meeting. Well, what about opposing it as a courtesy to the taxpayers?

How much more time will the commission waste on this? Mr. Marston brought it up in July 1991. It was a bad idea then and it's a bad idea now. The notion of paying commissioners $51,140 for a part-time job is absurd. The intent of the charter approved by the voters in 1988 was to establish county commissioners as part timers acting as the county government's policy-setting arm. It's the county chairman's job to handle the day-to-day operations of the county.

The goal of these changes is to attract people to run for the commission who are not full-time politicians, but rather those with the time and interest to represent residents. The $25,000 salary is reasonable for that job.

There may be an argument that there is a need to attract a better-quality candidate for these and other offices. But raising the salary doesn't seem to be the answer. There were some good candidates this year who ran for low-paying elected posts, and there were some bad candidates who sought high-paying posts.

Enough of this silliness. Mr. Marston's proposal to double the salary of commissioners does not deserve another moment of consideration. Their time would be better spent on more pressing issues to improve life for all residents.